World briefs 081402

IBM confirms plans to cut 15,000 employees

NEW YORK -- After months of surreptitious layoff notices, technology giant IBM Corp. revealed it's in the process of cutting more than 15,600 jobs -- 5 percent of its work force.

The total layoff figures, which IBM never announced publicly, appeared in a Tuesday filing with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission. Employees losing their jobs were notified in several batches during the second quarter, which ended June 30.

IBM reported cutting 14,213 jobs, the majority of which fell on its Global Services unit, with some workers also laid off in its servers and software businesses. A further batch of layoffs dismissed 1,400 workers from the company's Microelectronics division, which manufactures semiconductors.

IBM blamed "the recent decline in corporate spending on technology services."

Explosion at Connecticut condo complex kills twoWEST HAVEN, Conn. -- An explosion at a condominium complex Tuesday leveled three homes, killing two people and sending five to the hospital.

The blast sent a fireball hundreds of feet in the air, bathing the neighborhood in bright light, said John McNulty, who lives nearby.

Fire chief William Johnson called it "miraculous" that most residents of the three destroyed units escaped.

Authorities continued to investigate the cause of the blast.

The badly charred bodies of Vivian Tindell, 47, and Conrad Palmer, 70, were found in the rubble. Some residents had tried to douse the flames with a garden hose to rescue Palmer.

Soldier killed at base when vehicle overturned

FORT STEWART, Ga. -- A soldier was killed during a training exercise when the armored personnel carrier he was in overturned in a ditch, Army officials said Tuesday.

Four other soldiers suffered minor injuries in the accident on the sprawling base near Savannah, Fort Stewart officials said. All were members of the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division.

Army Criminal Investigations and Fort Stewart Military Police were investigating.

It was the second training accident this week at Fort Stewart. On Sunday, an M1A1 Abrams tank valued at $2.4 million caught fire and was destroyed. No one was injured. Army officials said the cause is still being investigated.

The identity of the soldier killed Tuesday was withheld until relatives could be notified.

Princeton removes dean after Yale Web site flap

PRINCETON, N.J. -- A Princeton University dean will be removed from his job for accessing Yale University's admissions Web site without authorization, Princeton's president said Tuesday.

Stephen LeMenager, associate dean and director of admissions, had been on paid leave. He has said he accessed the site to see how secure it was.

Princeton President Shirley M. Tilghman also said disciplinary action will be taken against some employees of Princeton's admission office. She declined to provide details.

Yale officials said they found 18 unauthorized log-ins to their site traced to Princeton computers. That included 14 from the admissions office, three from other students on campus and one from a Yale applicant who used a Princeton computer.

-- From wire reports